


Mildly Inconvenienced

by Aramley



Category: The Nice Guys (2016)
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramley/pseuds/Aramley
Summary: "Who falls off a roof, anyway," Holly said."Your dad," said Mr Healy, dryly. "With surprising frequency."
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	Mildly Inconvenienced

It was halfway through third period when the tannoy let out a high hiss of feedback and blurted out all over school that Holly March should come to the principal's office right away. She thought it might be something to do with how she'd missed a couple of days of school when her dad had been away on a job overnight and had forgotten to make other arrangements, but Mr Healy was in the principal's office and it was just like the time when Mrs Harvey had come to get her, only that time it was her dad in the principal's office waiting to tell her that her mom had burned up in the fire, and suddenly Holly was shaking all over and Mr Healy was coming towards her saying, "Oh Jesus, Holly, no, it's okay, he's alright, please don't cry," only he was a little late because Holly already had her face against his shirt like she was four and not fourteen. Mr Healy patted her hair gently and said, "It's okay, Holly. Okay, kid."

After, Mr Healy drove her to the hospital in her dad's car. Holly sat in the passenger seat with the window rolled down to cool her hot, tear-stained face, though the LA traffic moved at a crawl and the car fumes stung her eyes. 

"Who falls off a roof, anyway," she said.

"Your dad," said Mr Healy, dryly. "With surprising frequency."

"I guess," said Holly. She sniffed. "Was he drunk?"

"What? No. God, Holly, it was nine in the morning."

Holly looked out the window at the car in the next lane, a nice station wagon with a dad driving and a mom in the passenger seat. A little kid in the back seat held up his model airplane for her to see. She nodded appreciatively at it then looked over at Mr Healy, who was looking right back at her.

"I won't be mad at you if he was," said Holly.

"And I appreciate that," said Mr Healy, nodding. "But he wasn't. Kid, if there was ever anyone who could fall off of a roof stone cold sober, it's - "

"My dad," Holly finished for him. "I know."

At the hospital, they found Holly's dad sitting up in bed and eating green jello out of a little cup, which he dropped when Mr Healy ushered Holly into the room.

"Oh my God, you pulled her out of school?" he shrieked. "Are you nuts?"

"You asked me to!" Mr Healy yelled back. "You wouldn't - God, you wouldn't shut up about it in the ambulance."

"Yeah, cause I thought I was dying, not mildly inconvenienced," Holly's dad yelled, gesturing wildly at his right leg, which was encased in plaster.

"Mildly inconvenienced," said Mr Healy, to the room at large. "March, let me tell you what you are, and it is not a mild inconvenience."

"Holly," her dad said, pointing at her with the leftover plastic spoon from his jello cup, one eye closed up with swelling and the other wide and wild, "if your grades slip and you drop out of school and join a cult I want you to know it was Mr Healy who ruined your life, okay, honey?"

"How high are you right now?" Holly asked.

Her dad closed his eyes and said fervently, "God, not nearly high enough. C'mere, kiddo," opening his good arm wide for her, and Holly went and folded herself as close as she could, careful of his broken leg and bandaged torso. Her dad smelled like cigarettes and cologne, layered with a terrible antiseptic tang.

Mr Healy cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'd better go."

"That's right, before I kick your ass," said Holly's dad into Holly's hair.

"Don't be a jerk," said Holly, into her dad's neck. She twisted around so she could see Mr Healy and held out her arm to him, beckoning. When Mr Healy hesitated Holly deployed some minor emotional manipulation and said, "My dad fell off a roof today."

Mr Healy's shoulders dropped, just a little. He came over and put one arm around Holly and, after a moment's awkwardness on everyone's part, put the other around her dad. Holly shut her eyes and burrowed closer between them.

"Not _nearly_ high enough," said Holly's dad, but they stayed there, the three of them, anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> An old ficlet brushed up to get myself into writing again after a long time!


End file.
